Systems and methods for managing machine tools

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for managing machine tools are provided. When a current abnormality occurs in one of at least one machine tool, a specific failure category is determined according to the current abnormality, and at least one suggested combination of parameters is generated according to the specific failure category and a transaction database, wherein the specific failure category is one of a plurality of predefined failure categories, and each suggested combination of parameters includes a plurality of associated parameters, which are commonly retrieved for the specific failure category. Each transaction data in the transaction database records a plurality of parameters corresponding to a failure category, wherein the parameters are the parameters whose parameter values are retrieved from the at least one machine tool, having the abnormality according to the failure category.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No.098142212, filed on Dec. 10, 2009, the entirety of which is incorporatedby reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates generally to management systems and methods formachine tools, and more particularly, to remote management systems andmethods for machine tools that automatically provide suggestedcombination of parameters to manage a machine tool via a network when acurrent abnormality occurs in the machine tool.

2. Description of the Related Art

Machine tools are necessary pieces of equipment in basic and precisionmanufacturing. Machine tools are closely correlated with the generalengineering industry, automobile industry, electronic industry,aerospace industry, and/or defense industry.

Generally, an engineer must monitor the operation of a machine tool,thus to real-time perform related management tasks for the machine tool.For example, when an abnormality occurs in the machine tool, theengineer can perform real-time failure obviation/elimination of machinetools. During the repair/troubleshooting operations, the engineer needsto examine the relevant parameters of the machine tool to fine thefailure and to ascertain if any components which correspond to theabnormality of the machine tool have been affected. Especially in theremote management system for machine tools, when an exception occurs theparameter retrieved from the machine tool via a communication networkbecomes important information for failure recognition since the engineercannot directly check and test the machine tool.

Conventionally, the engineer must determine the parameters to be viewedbased on his own experiences, or use a trial and error method toretrieve possible parameter values to examine each component one by one.However, the tool types and related components of machine tools arenumerous. The possible failures are also numerous and complicated, andthe related components which need to be examined may be different fordifferent failures. Since the number of related parameters is numerous,the engineer must repeatedly try to find the correct parameters,resulting in time-consuming procedures. Therefore, it is important toefficiently determine which related parameters needed to be examined inorder to fix the failures which correspond to the respective failures inthe machine tool.

In some cases, related experts can define solutions for differentfailures in advance. However, as described, since the failures which canoccur in the machine tool may be numerous and complicated, thepredefined solutions cannot efficiently solve the failures which occurin reality, and therefore, the achieved effectiveness of therepair/troubleshooting operations for the machine tool are limited. Theengineer still must repeatedly try to retrieve parameters in order tofind the cause of abnormal function and to provide repairrecommendations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Management systems and methods for machine tools are provided.

An embodiment of a management system for machine tools comprises atleast one machine tool and a remote monitoring host, wherein at leastone machine tool connects to the remote monitoring host via a network.The remote monitoring host comprises a storage unit and a processingunit. The storage unit records a transaction database which comprises aplurality of transaction data, wherein each transaction data records aplurality of parameters corresponding to a failure category, the failurecategory is one of a plurality of predefined failure categories when anabnormality occurs in the at least one machine tool, in which thefailure category is corresponded to the abnormality, and the parametersare the parameters whose parameter values are retrieved from the atleast one machine tool, having the abnormality, by a remote monitoringhost according to the failure category. When a current abnormalityoccurs in one of at least one machine tool, the processing unitdetermines a specific failure category according to the currentabnormality, and generates at least one suggested combination ofparameters according to the specific failure category and thetransaction database, wherein the specific failure category is one ofthe predefined failure categories, and each suggested combination ofparameters comprises a plurality of associated parameters, which arecommonly retrieved for the specific failure category.

In an embodiment of a management method for machine tools to manage atleast one machine tool via a network, a storage unit comprising atransaction database having a plurality of transaction data is provided,wherein each transaction data records a plurality of parameterscorresponding to a failure category, and the failure category is one ofa plurality of predefined failure categories when an abnormality occursin the at least one machine tool, in which the failure category iscorresponded to the abnormality, and the parameters are the parameterswhose parameter values are retrieved from the at least one machine tool,having the abnormality, by a remote monitoring host according to thefailure category. When a current abnormality occurs in one of at leastone machine tool, a specific failure category is determined according tothe current abnormality, and at least one suggested combination ofparameters is generated according to the specific failure category andthe transaction database, wherein the specific failure category is oneof the predefined failure categories, and each suggested combination ofparameters comprises a plurality of associated parameters, which arecommonly retrieved for the specific failure category.

In some embodiments, the suggested combination of parameterscorresponding to the specific failure category is mined from thetransaction data of the transaction database using a data miningtechnology. In some embodiments, the data mining technology is developedby association rules, and the parameters corresponding to a failurecategory recorded in each transaction data are set as associated itemsin the association rule.

In some embodiments, the processing unit further transmits a command tothe machine tool having the current abnormality via the networkaccording to one of the at least one suggested combination ofparameters, wherein the command requests to retrieve the parametervalues corresponding to the associated parameters from the machine tool.The machine tool having the current abnormality retrieves parametervalues corresponding to the respective associated parameters accordingto the command, and transmits the parameter values to the remotemonitoring host via the network.

In some embodiments, the processing unit further provides an operationalinterface. The operational interface can be provided to determine thespecific failure category by a user. After a calculation of theprocessing unit, the operational interface can display several suggestedcombinations of parameters for the specific failure category. The usercan select anyone of the suggested combinations of parameters via theoperational interface, and the processing unit can transmit a command tothe machine tool having the current abnormality via the networkaccording to the selected suggested combination of parameters, whereinthe command requests to retrieve the parameter values corresponding tothe associated parameters corresponding to the selected suggestedcombination of parameters from the machine tool. The parameter valuescorresponding to the associated parameters can be displayed in theoperational interface, and the user can reference the parameter valuesfor further diagnosis. The operational interface can be further providedto input a diagnosis result via the operational interface for a user,and when the diagnosis is complete, the processing unit further packagesthe specific failure category and the retrieved parameters astransaction data, and stores the transaction data in the transactiondatabase.

Management methods for machine tools may take the form of a program codeembodied in a tangible media. When the program code is loaded into andexecuted by a machine, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicingthe disclosed method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will become more fully understood by referring to thefollowing detailed description with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a managementsystem for machine tools of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of thearchitecture of a remote monitoring host of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a management method formachine tools of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of another embodiment of a management method formachine tools of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Management systems and methods for machine tools are provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a managementsystem for machine tools of the invention.

The management system for machine tools comprises at least one machinetool 100 and a remote monitoring host 200. The machine tool 100 may beequipment for basic and/or precision manufacturing. The machine tool 100may connect to the remote monitoring host 200 via a network 300.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of thearchitecture of a remote monitoring host of the invention. The remotemonitoring host 200 may be a processor-based electronic device. Theremote monitoring host 200 comprises at least a storage unit 210 and aprocessing unit 220. The storage unit 210 mainly comprises a transactiondatabase 212 which comprises a plurality of transaction data, whereineach transaction data records a plurality of parameters corresponding toa failure category. For example, when an abnormality occurs in themachine tool, a corresponding failure category can be differentiatedfrom various predefined failure categories, such as a spindle, a servo,a servo axis stroke, a peripheral motor, a knife turret, an emergencydoor, and/or optional accessories. The above failure category may be oneof the predefined failure categories. The transaction database 212 maycomprise a plurality of historical transaction data recorded duringabnormalities which previously occurred in the machine tool 100. Thehistorical transaction data can record parameters, whose parametervalues are commonly retrieved from the machine tool 100 via the remotemonitoring host 200 by the engineer in order to solve the failure whenthe previous abnormalities occurred in the machine tool 100. It isunderstood that, the parameter value may be a numeric value, a text orother data. The commonly retrieved parameters of the present applicationmay be multiple parameters simultaneously retrieved in a retrievalcommand, or respectively retrieved during the procedure for handling theabnormalities or solving the failure. The transaction data can becreated by engineers or other users based on experiences. For example,an operational interface can be provided by the processing unit 220 torecord the plurality of parameters corresponding to the specific failurecategory for an engineer or a user, and when the current abnormality isoccurred in the machine tool having the current abnormality, therecorded plurality of parameters are stored to the transaction database212 by the processing unit 220. Additionally, the transaction data canbe automatically and constantly accumulated via the system of thepresent invention, which will be discussed further in the followingparagraphs.

When a current abnormality occurs in at least one machine tool, theprocessing unit 220 can determine a specific failure category accordingto the current abnormality, and generate one or several suggestedcombinations of parameters according to the transaction database 212.The specific failure category is one of the predefined failurecategories, and each suggested combination of parameters comprises aplurality of associated parameters, which are commonly retrieved for thespecific failure category. It is understood that, the above currentabnormality may be any abnormality which may occur in any one of atleast one machine tool 100, and the above current abnormality may be anyabnormality which needs a provision of at least one suggestedcombination of parameters by the processing unit 220.

In some embodiments, the storage unit 210 can further comprise a failureclassification table 211. The failure classification table 211 canrecord a plurality of failure categories and at least one error codecorresponding to the respective failure categories, wherein each errorcode can correspond to one of the failure categories recorded in thefailure classification table 211. When an abnormality occurs in themachine tool, an error code corresponding to the abnormality can begenerated, and transmitted to the remote monitoring host 200 via thenetwork 300. The processing unit 220 of the remote monitoring host 200can search the failure classification table 211 according to the errorcode, and determine a corresponding failure category.

In other embodiments, the processing unit 220 can further transmit acommand requesting a retrieval of a plurality of associated parametersto the machine tool 100 via the network 300 according to a generatedsuggested combination of parameters. The machine tool 100retrieves/reads parameter values corresponding to the associatedparameters from the machine tool 100 according to the command, andtransmits the parameter values to the remote monitoring host 200 via thenetwork 300. When only one suggested combination of parameters isavailable, the processing unit 220 can directly adopt the suggestedcombination of parameters. When several suggested combinations ofparameters are available, the processing unit 220 can filter or sort thesuggested combinations of parameters according to various conditions,and use the filtered suggested combination of parameters or thesuggested combination of parameters having the highest ranking withinthe suggested combinations of parameters to generate a retrievalcommand. In some embodiments, the processing unit may further provide anoperational interface to determine a specific failure category for auser. For example, the operational interface maybe have a plurality ofoptions, and each option corresponds to one of the predefined failurecategories, such as the failure categories of spindle, servo axis, andothers. Then, the processing unit 220 determines the correspondingspecific failure category according to the selected option. The optionsmay be the abnormal situations relating to the machine tool, such aswhen the temperature of the motor is too high, or when the rotationspeed of the servo axis is too low. The processing unit 220 candetermine a corresponding specific failure category according to theabnormality situation selected by the user via an expert knowledgesystem, or an additional status matching table recording the abnormalitysituations of the machine tool and corresponding failure categories.When at least one suggested combination of parameters on the operationalinterface is selected by the user, the processing unit 220 can transmita command for retrieving parameters to the machine tool 100 via thenetwork 300. Further, the operational interface (or another operationalinterface) can display the generated suggested combination ofparameters, and provide the user to select at least one suggestedcombination of parameters. The processing unit 220 transmits a commandfor retrieving parameters to the machine tool 100 via the network 300according to the selected suggested combination of parameters.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a management method formachine tools of the invention. The management method for machine toolscan be used for a remote monitoring host to manage at least one machinetool via a network.

In step S310, a storage unit comprising a transaction database isprovided. The transaction database comprises a plurality of transactiondata, and each transaction data records a plurality of parameterscorresponding to a failure category. The failure category is one of aplurality of predefined failure categories. When an abnormality occursin at least one machine tool, the failure category is one of thepredefined failure categories, which corresponds to the abnormality, andthe parameters are the parameters whose parameter values is retrievedfrom the at least one machine tool, having the abnormality, by a remotemonitoring host according to the failure category corresponding to theabnormality

In step S320, when a current abnormality occurs in one of at least onemachine tool, a specific failure category is determined according to thecurrent abnormality, and at least one suggested combination ofparameters is generated according to the specific failure category andthe transaction database. The specific failure category is one of thepredefined failure categories, and each suggested combination ofparameters comprises a plurality of associated parameters, which arecommonly retrieved for the specific failure category.

It is understood that, in some embodiments, when an abnormality occursin the machine tool, the machine tool can generate and transmit an errorcode corresponding to the abnormality to the remote monitoring host viathe network, and in step S320, a specific failure category can bedetermined according to the error code. It is understood that, in someembodiments, the remote monitoring host can comprise a failureclassification table, and the failure classification table records aplurality of failure categories and at least one error codecorresponding to the respective failure categories. The specific failurecategory can be obtained by searching the failure classification tableaccording to the error code transmitted by the machine tool.

In other embodiments, a step S330 can be further performed, wherein aretrieval command generated according to the suggested combination ofparameters can be transmitted to the machine tool via the network.Similarly, the transaction database may comprise a plurality ofhistorical transaction data which were recorded when abnormalitiesoccurred in the machine tool, and each transaction data can record afailure category and related parameters which were be viewed for thefailure category.

It is understood that, in some embodiments, the suggested combination ofparameters corresponding to the specific failure category can be minedfrom the transaction data of the transaction database using a datamining technology, such that a plurality of associated parameters whichare commonly retrieved for the specific failure category are obtained.It is noted that, the data mining technology may be developed byassociation rules, attribute oriented induction, classification, dataclustering, pattern-based similarity search, or data cube. In thisinvention, the data mining technique is developed by association rules,and the parameters corresponding to the failure category recorded ineach transaction data can be set as associated items in the associationrule. For example, each transaction data may comprise a failure categoryand several associated parameters associated with the failure category.These associated parameters may be the parameters which are retrievedand/or reviewed during the same failure previously occurred.Additionally, in some embodiments, data mining can be performedaccording to a grouping compress tree (GC tree) technique. It is notedthat, any data mining technology can be applied in the presentinvention, and is not limited thereto.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of another embodiment of a management method formachine tools of the invention. The management method for machine toolscan be used for a remote monitoring host to manage at least one machinetool via a network. In this embodiment, the machine tool can retrieveparameter values according to a suggested combination of parameters, andthe retrieved parameter values can be transmitted to the remotemonitoring host for related management and/or diagnosis.

In step S410, an error code is received from the machine tool via anetwork. Similarly, in some embodiments, when an abnormality occurs inthe machine tool, the machine tool can generate and transmit an errorcode corresponding to the abnormality to the remote monitoring host viathe network. In step S420, a specific failure category is determinedaccording to the error code. For example, a failure classification tablecan be provided to record a plurality of failure categories and at leastone error code corresponding to the respective failure categories. Thespecific failure category can be obtained by searching the failureclassification table according to the error code transmitted by themachine tool. In step S430, a plurality of suggested combinations ofparameters are generated according to the specific failure category andthe transaction database, and in step S440, a retrieval commandcorresponding to one of the suggested combinations of parameters istransmitted to the machine tool. As described, the suggestedcombinations of parameters corresponding to the specific failurecategory can be mined from the transaction data of the transactiondatabase using a data mining technology. It is noted that again, anydata mining technology can be applied in the present invention, and isnot limited thereto.

After the machine tool receives the retrieval command corresponding tothe suggested combination of parameters, in step S450, the machine toolrespectively retrieves and transmits parameter values corresponding tothe associated parameters of the suggested combination of parameters tothe remote monitoring host via the network. In step S460, a diagnosisoperational interface is provided for the user to input the diagnosisresult. It is noted that, the diagnosis operational interface may be anadditional interface, or be integrated with the operational interfacedescribed above. It is understood that, in some embodiments, a client(not shown in FIG. 1, such as a computer, PC, Notebook, PDA) can becoupled to the remote monitoring host. The diagnosis operationalinterface can be displayed at the client for a user (such as anengineer) to perform a diagnosis for the machine tool, and be providedfor the user to input or select the diagnosis result. In someembodiments, the diagnosis result can indicate if the diagnosis iscomplete or not, and indicate that another suggested combination ofparameters is suggested to select for re-retrieving correspondingparameter values. When the diagnosis result indicates that the diagnosisis complete (Yes in step S470), in step S480, the specific failurecategory and the corresponding parameters to be retrieved are packagedas transaction data, and the transaction database is updated by storingthe transaction data to the transaction database, such that thetransaction data in the transaction database can be constantlyaccumulate and increased. When the diagnosis result indicates thatanother suggested combination of parameters is suggested for selection(No in step S470), in step S490, other suggested combinations ofparameters are displayed for selection, and the procedure returns tostep S440, next, a retrieval command corresponding to the new selectedsuggested combination of parameters is transmitted to the machine toolvia the network.

Similarly, the machine tool can retrieve and transmit correspondingparameter values to the remote monitoring host for assisting the user inperforming related diagnoses according to one or multiple retrievalcommands corresponding to the one or multiple suggested combinations ofparameters. When the diagnosis result indicates that the diagnosis iscomplete, the specific failure category and all parameters involved inthe one or multiple retrieval commands are packaged as transaction data,and stored in the transaction database. It is noted that, the newtransaction data can be used for subsequent management/diagnosis when anabnormality occurs in the machine tool.

Therefore, the management systems and methods for machine tools canautomatically provide suggested combinations of parameters to manage amachine tool via a network. Additionally, the generation of thesuggested combinations of parameters can be dynamically adjustedaccording to the transaction data recorded during previous abnormalitieswhich occurred in the machine tool, thus improving the achievementresults of the repair/troubleshooting operations for the machine tool.

Management methods for machine tools, or certain aspects or portionsthereof, may take the form of a program code (i.e., executableinstructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes,CD-ROMS, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storage medium,wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine,such as a computer, the machine thereby becomes an apparatus forpracticing the methods. When implemented on a general-purpose processor,the program code combines with the processor to provide a uniqueapparatus that operates analogously to the application of specific logiccircuits.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms ofpreferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited thereto. Those who are skilled in this technology can still makevarious alterations and modifications without departing from the scopeand spirit of this invention. Therefore, the scope of the presentinvention shall be defined and protected by the following claims andtheir equivalents.

1. A management system for machine tools, comprising: at least onemachine tool; and a remote monitoring host connected to at least onemachine tool via a network, and the remote monitoring host comprises: astorage unit recording a transaction database which comprises aplurality of transaction data, wherein each transaction data records aplurality of parameters corresponding to a failure category, and thefailure category is one of a plurality of predefined failure categorieswhen an abnormality occurs in the at least one machine tool, in whichthe failure category is corresponded to the abnormality, and theparameters are the parameters whose parameter values are retrieved fromthe at least one machine tool, having the abnormality, by the remotemonitoring host according to the failure category; and a processing unitdetermining a specific failure category according to a currentabnormality when the current abnormality occurs in one of at least onemachine tool, and generating at least one suggested combination ofparameters according to the specific failure category and thetransaction database, wherein the specific failure category is one ofthe predefined failure categories, and each suggested combination ofparameters comprises a plurality of associated parameters, which arecommonly retrieved for the specific failure category.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the processing unit further transmits a command to themachine tool having the current abnormality via the network according toone of the at least one suggested combination of parameters, wherein thecommand requests to retrieve the parameter values corresponding to theassociated parameters from the machine tool.
 3. The system of claim 2,wherein the machine tool having the current abnormality retrievesparameter values corresponding to the respective associated parametersaccording to the command, and transmits the parameter values to theremote monitoring host via the network.
 4. The system of claim 2,further comprising an operational interface, wherein the operationalinterface is provided to record the plurality of parameterscorresponding to the specific failure category by a user when thecurrent abnormality is occurred in the machine tool having the currentabnormality, and wherein the recorded plurality of parameters are storedto the transaction database by the processing unit.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one machine tool further generates anerror code corresponding to the current abnormality when the currentabnormality occurs, and transmits the error code to the remotemonitoring host via a network, and the processing unit determines thespecific failure category according to the error code.
 6. The system ofclaim 5, wherein the storage unit further comprises a failureclassification table for recording the predefined failure categories andat least one error code corresponding to the respective failurecategories, and the processing unit searches the failure classificationtable according to the error code transmitted from the machine tool todetermine the specific failure category.
 7. The system of claim 1,wherein the processing unit further provides an operational interface,wherein the operational interface is provided to determine the specificfailure category for a user and to input a diagnosis result when thediagnosis result is complete, and the processing unit further packagesthe specific failure category and the retrieved parameters astransaction data, and stores the transaction data in the transactiondatabase.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit furtherprovides an operational interface, wherein the operational interface isprovided to determine the specific failure category and to select one ofthe at least one suggested combination of parameters for a user, and theprocessing unit further transmits a command to the machine tool havingthe current abnormality via the network according to the selectedsuggested combination of parameters, wherein the command requests toretrieve the parameter values corresponding to the associated parameterscorresponding to the selected suggested combination of parameters fromthe machine tool, and the operational interface is further provided tothe user to input a diagnosis result, and when the diagnosis resultrepresents that a diagnosis is complete, the processing unit furtherpackages the specific failure category and the retrieved parameters astransaction data, and stores the transaction data in the transactiondatabase.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one suggestedcombination of parameters corresponding to the specific failure categoryis mined from the transaction data of the transaction database using adata mining technology.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the datamining technology is developed by association rules, and the parameterscorresponding to the failure category recorded in each transaction dataare set as associated items in the association rule.
 11. The system ofclaim 10, wherein when the diagnosis result comprises that anothersuggested combination of parameters is suggested for selection, theprocessing unit further transmits another command corresponding to theassociated parameters to the machine tool having the current abnormalityvia the network according to the another suggested combination ofparameters, and the machine tool having the current abnormalityretrieves parameter values corresponding to the respective associatedparameters according to the received command, and transmits theparameter values to the remote monitoring host via the network.
 12. Amanagement method for machine tools to manage at least one machine toolvia a network, comprising: providing a storage unit recording atransaction database which comprises a plurality of transaction data,wherein each transaction data records a plurality of parameterscorresponding to a failure category, and the failure category is one ofa plurality of predefined failure categories when an abnormality occursin the at least one machine tool, in which the failure category iscorresponded to the abnormality, and the parameters are the parameterswhose parameter values are retrieved from the at least one machine tool,having the abnormality, by a remote monitoring host according to thefailure category; and when a current abnormality occurs in one of atleast one machine tool, determining a specific failure categoryaccording to the current abnormality, and generating at least onesuggested combination of parameters according to the specific failurecategory and the transaction database, wherein the specific failurecategory is one of the predefined failure categories, and each suggestedcombination of parameters comprises a plurality of associatedparameters, which are commonly retrieved for the specific failurecategory.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting acommand to the machine tool having the current abnormality via thenetwork according to one of the at least one suggested combination ofparameters, wherein the command requests to retrieve the parametervalues corresponding to the associated parameters from the machine tool.14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: retrieving parametervalues corresponding to the respective associated parameters by themachine tool having the current abnormality according to the command;and transmitting the parameter values to the remote monitoring host bythe machine tool having the current abnormality via the network.
 15. Themethod of claim 13, further comprising providing an operationalinterface, wherein the operational interface is provided to record theplurality of parameters corresponding to the specific failure categoryfor a user when the current abnormality is occurred in the machine toolhaving the current abnormality, and wherein the recorded plurality ofparameters are stored to the transaction database.
 16. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising: generating an error code corresponding tothe current abnormality when the current abnormality occurs, andtransmitting the error code to the remote monitoring host via a networkby the at least one machine tool; and determining the specific failurecategory according to the error code.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein the storage unit further comprises a failure classificationtable for recording the predefined failure categories and at least oneerror code corresponding to the respective failure categories, and themethod further comprises searching the failure classification tableaccording to the error code transmitted from the machine tool todetermine the specific failure category.
 18. The method of claim 12,further comprising: providing an operational interface, wherein theoperational interface is provided to determine the specific failurecategory and to input a diagnosis result when the diagnosis result iscomplete for a user; and packaging the specific failure category and theretrieved parameters as transaction data, and storing the transactiondata in the transaction database.
 19. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: providing an operational interface, wherein the operationalinterface is provided to determine the specific failure category and toselect one of the at least one suggested combination of parameters for auser; transmitting a command to the machine tool having the currentabnormality via the network according to the selected suggestedcombination of parameters, wherein the command requests to retrieve theparameter values corresponding to the associated parameterscorresponding to the selected suggested combination of parameters fromthe machine tool; providing the operational interface to input adiagnosis result for the user when the diagnosis result is complete; andpackaging the specific failure category and the retrieved parameters astransaction data, and storing the transaction data in the transactiondatabase.
 20. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one suggestedparameter combination corresponding to the specific failure category ismined from the transaction data of the transaction database using a datamining technology.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the data miningtechnology is developed by association rules, and the parameterscorresponding to the failure category recorded in each transaction dataare set as associated items in the association rule.
 22. The method ofclaim 21, further comprising: when the diagnosis result comprises thatanother suggested combination of parameters is suggested for selection,transmitting another command corresponding to the associated parametersto the machine tool having the current abnormality via the networkaccording to the another suggested combination of parameters; andretrieving parameter values corresponding to the respective associatedparameters according to the received command, and transmitting theparameter values to the remote monitoring host via the network by themachine tool having the current abnormality.
 23. A machine-readablestorage medium comprising a computer program, which, when executed,causes a device to perform a management method for machine tools,wherein the device comprises a storage unit recording a transactiondatabase which comprises a plurality of transaction data, eachtransaction data records a plurality of parameters corresponding to afailure category, and the failure category is one of a plurality ofpredefined failure categories when an abnormality occurs in the at leastone machine tool, in which the failure category is corresponded to theabnormality, and the parameters are the parameters whose parametervalues are retrieved from the at least one machine tool, having theabnormality, by a remote monitoring host according to the failurecategory, and the method comprises: when a current abnormality occurs inone of at least one machine tool, determining a specific failurecategory according to the current abnormality, and generating at leastone suggested combination of parameters according to the specificfailure category and the transaction database, wherein the specificfailure category is one of the predefined failure categories, and eachsuggested combination of parameters comprises a plurality of associatedparameters, which are commonly retrieved for the specific failurecategory.